The policy and standards library is like a tree, and over time, requires pruning and maintenance. The policy change control board helps determine what changes should be made to which documents. Other needs for changes can come about from issues related to specific users or groups, and documents may need trivial or isolated changes. One of the tasks of the board is to determine which requests they will address and which ones are normal maintenance requests.
Establish a frequently asked questions (FAQ) site to clarify minor points in the policy. Over time, as you see the types of questions and answers that resonate with the end user, you can move those answers into the actual policy language itself.
An update many be considered a nonsubstantive edit. Examples include updating a position title or a department name, correcting a typo, and repairing broken website links.
Revisions may be of minor or major significance:
Throughout the chapter, you were provided with some best practices for developing your documents, numbering them appropriately, publishing your documents, and spreading the word about them. If you follow this guidance, the change process should take minimal effort. If every change requires a complete revisiting of the library, you have a much bigger problem on your hands.
Assuming that you follow the same development and review cycles for your updates and gain the necessary buy-in from those who are affected by changes, the most time-consuming activity will be communicating your changes to the organization. Using the techniques and tools for communication and media, you should be able to rely on the same processes you developed for ongoing awareness and training.
To help you determine what changes or maintenance you’ll need to perform, use the information provided by: